Cocoa 101

This might be silly but I’m going to put it out there. Cocoa. It is not to be made from a little pouch of prepackaged sugar and chocolate powder with dried up marshmallows. I have discovered this and though I am certain many, MANY, people already knew how to make cocoa on their own- I did not. Not until I moved to Sweden about four years ago and learned that most everything that came in boxes of premeasured ingredients could actually be made without boxes at all! In fact, you don’t even have to measure anything! If you want more sugar, you add more sugar. If you want your cocoa chocolatier (it is definately a word) just add more cocoa!

I also add vanilla and sometimes cinnamon and even that random vanilla cocoa powder my boyfriend bought once and then forgot about. Seriously, get creative. I’ve discovered over the past couple years that most things in the kitchen you can just make up as you go along (not cakes though..)

I measure the milk by pouring it into my cup and then into the pot. After that it’s just whisking in whatever you want until you love it and it’s steamy. That’s it! If you’ve never made your own cocoa, do it. Cocoa in the cafe is fantastic but we can’t always get dolled up and trudge out to the cafe. Sometimes we have to have cocoa while sitting in our pajamas at the computer.

Now, if you’ve made your own cocoa since you were little and it is basic knowledge to you, ignore me or perhaps take a moment to smile at the fact that, honestly, until I was twenty-two I had no idea that this could be done.